Fresh faces for Pilbara Regiment

The Pilbara Regiment is marching to a new tune with two new faces taking up positions which make them the top brass in Karratha.

Commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Paul Smith and Warrant Officer Class One Mark Retallick have come from the island of Oahu in Hawaii and the island of Tasmania, respectively.

Lt-Col Smith said he had spent the past two years as the Australian Army's liaison officer at the US Marine Corp Pacific headquarters in Hawaii.

"I was there as the army's representative, helping plan exercises and training between the Australian Army, the Australian Defence Forces and the Marine Corp in the Pacific," he said.

"When you serve overseas you truly appreciate home.

"It's always good to come back home and it's amazing the little things you miss."

Lt-Col Smith has now been appointed by Chief of Army Lieutenant General David Morrison to lead the Pilbara Regiment as its commanding officer.

"To be picked is a privilege, and a tremendous opportunity to be put in charge of men and women of the army," he said.

"We rely so much on strong positive community support."

"Here in the Pilbara I'm struck by just how close the community is … there's a real sense of togetherness."

The regiment covers 1.3 million square kilometres, with its headquarters in Karratha and depots in Port Hedland, Perth, Tom Price, Newman, Exmouth and Carnarvon.

Lt-Col Smith said the regiment had a unique role and was essentially the eyes and ears of the North West.

It was also growing, he said, with the army invest- ing in new equipment and vehicles, opening up new positions.

"(It's) going to revolutionise the way we conduct business and do operations here," he said.

"I've been given approval to grow this unit.

"We need to be a source of pride for our community.

"My challenge is to increase our unit strength and recruit more locals to join the ranks of the regiment."